Reflections on Central Event 1 - Part 1

     It's hard to believe that the first event of the 2012 central and Elite season is already behind us but it came and went with a bang...or should I say a splash! Saturday was filled with constant rain leaving the fields muddy and slippery. I've now accepted that whether in May or June, Event 1 cannot exist without some showers. Despite the rain, all teams came out ready to play and spectators maintained their spots on the sidelines with pride. 
     As I arrived at the field early Saturday morning, the first thing I noticed was the fancy new GoPro Hero II cameras holding watch over all corners of the CXBL field and pits. Backline even had some of the refs sporting the cameras on their masks! As I took note of the pit cameras and microphones, I wondered to myself if players would stay aware of the eagle eye in the heat of a stressful match. I've always preferred yelling bunker calls and G counts on snake side to being in the pits because I know that is where all of the player emotion comes out. The new pit cameras will allow us all a sneak peak at how teams work through their struggles and celebrate their victories in true colour. 
    The new hand-crafted permanent pits are a wonderful addition to Flag Raiders and I know the players were all too happy to have them for this event. They allowed for more organization and player confidence in the midst of the mid-game rush. It was also great to be able to walk easily between the four fields thanks to the vendor concession space. This made it easier for players and spectators alike to check out different levels of competition. 
     I didn't get the chance to visit the CXBL shop but I did notice that there was quite a selection from the many amazing sponsors of our league. The CXBL staff did a spectacular job of setting up all of their exciting merchandise to make visitors feel as though they were really in a top-of-the-line clothing store rather than traversing muddy terrain. I really appreciate all the behind-the scenes work that is done before and after all of the matches. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this event a success! It is because of you that the CXBL is one of the best leagues in existence! 

Some of Flag Raiders hardworking owners and staff

Now, the point that you've all been waiting for..here are some of my reflections and recaps from this weekends CXBL Elite matches! 

CXBL Elite

Most Exciting game to watch – Cambridge Raiders Vs. Windsor Lockdown

     Cambridge Raiders and Toronto Rage have battled each other at the top of the CXBL bracket for quite some time. With Windsor being loaded with former Rage players, it’s no surprise that this game became the typical Raiders-Rage power struggle. The beginning of the match followed the typical point by point pattern with each team taking turns hanging the flag or conceding the point to the other team. Lockdown took two minor penalties early in the game that didn’t seem to slow them down too much. However, Cambridge used Lockdown’s three minor penalties toward the end of the half to their advantage and finished the half with a 6-4 lead. The Lockdown players came back strong taking the first point in the second half but then conceded the following point to Raiders. Cambridge player, Eric Prum, then took a major penalty and was given a match misconduct for wiping a hit. Lockdown took advantage of Raiders only penalty and Lockdown’s Drew Guppy managed to get a flag hang during a one-on-one with Raiders’ Nolan Stoer. They then went on to take the next 3 points bringing them to a 9-7 lead with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game. Windsor got into penalty trouble again, taking two majors and a minor which allowed Raiders to bring in 2 points to finish the game in a tie. It was certainly an exciting game to watch and I think everybody was wondering who would come out on top; especially after last season’s Raiders-Rage match ended in a tie. I suppose we will just have to wait until NAX to find out who really is the better team—I am sure we will see them both there. 

 Raiders' Derrick Weltz and Nolan Stoer

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless Photography

Raiders' Travis Kropf

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Most Surprising game – Windsor Lockdown Vs. Toronto Rockstar

     While this game certainly ended in Windsor’s favour, nearly all of the spectators were shocked to see the first half end with Toronto only trailing by 1. In fact, Rockstar went on to win the first point in the second half bringing the game to an unexpected 6-6 tie. While I am certain that Lockdown must’ve been fuming, they managed to keep quite cool and they stayed away from the major penalties that the former Rage guys are notorious for in high-stress situations. I look forward to seeing Backline Media’s coverage from the pits during this game. I’ll bet Rockstar was just as shocked as Lockdown to be meeting in a tie. Unfortunately for Rockstar, the Windsor players stormed back and took the next four points with Rockstar taking two minor penalties. Toronto took advantage of Lockdown’s minor penalty pulling in their seventh point of the game leaving the score at 10-7 for Windsor. Lockdown couldn’t leave the game that close and took another three points with Rockstar taking another minor penalty late in the game. The final score was 13-7 for Windsor Lockdown but I’d be willing to bet that they are not happy with that win. Expect them to come back angry and ready to steamroll teams at Event 2. 

 Windsor Lockdown's Drew Guppy

Photo Credit: The Catchack Reports

Most impressive team thus far -- Vancouver Thunder

     My impression after event 1 is that Thunder may in fact be THE team to beat this season. Many of us have predicted that due to Tremblant Cowboys roster, they would be the toughest team in the 2012 season but after watching Vancouver’s smooth playing in ALL of their weekend matches, I suspect that the paintball community may have underestimated their skill. Thunder proceeded to win a solid four matches with just over one line of players with their closest match against Kitchener Recon having a 5 point spread.  We have yet to see Tremblant play but I am left wondering if their skill can compare to the impressive Vancouver Thunder. 

 Thunder's Nate Schroeder

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Weakest team thus far – Scarborough Hustle 

     Prior to the first event, I’d heard discussions about who would be up for relegation this season. In all of those discussions, Scarborough was NOT a name that was mentioned. Many suspected that Toronto Rockstar and Mirabel Impact would be the two teams at the bottom of the pile. After their showing at event 1, Scarborough has me wondering whether they will be left battling to keep their CXBL rights. With just two games played, their plus/minus is a whopping -24. This is just 4 points higher than Rockstar’s -28 and they have played four games already this season. Hustle better get their act together before event 2 where they face 3 challenging teams: Tremblant Cowboys, Windsor Lockdown, and Kitchener Recon or they will without a doubt be left fighting to avoid relegation. 

 Hustle's Mike Muhr

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Teams to watch out for at Event 2– Medonte Ntwo Factor and Mirabel Impact

These two teams are the Central and Eastern MXL champs from the 2011 season and I think many of us were expecting them to come into the CXBL still showing their MXL markings. While both teams have some marks of inexperience, they did prove that they are here to compete.  Both teams have accomplished their first CXBL win and have now had the chance to work the jitters out. If they keep practicing hard, I suspect we can expect great things from them come event 2. 

Medonte's Brandon Arnold

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Impact's Simon Benoit

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Team that most surpassed my expectations – Drummondville Daytona

      Being less familiar with the teams coming from the Eastern division of the CXBL, I didn’t really know what to expect from Mirabel Impact or Drummondville Daytona. In fact, I had decided that Drummondville would be mediocre at best. These guys far surpassed my expectations for mediocrity. Drummondville faced their Eastern counterparts first and won the game with a 5 point spread. They then took on Scarborough Hustle, beating them by a solid 8 points. In my mind, they really proved their worth when they finished their match against Kitchener Recon trailing only by one point. This match could have easily ended differently. Daytona made 50 snake off the break some points and did several X runs. They have an aggressive style which will challenge the more conservative Central teams to mix things up. 

 Drummondville Daytona

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Signing off, 
The Paintball Wife

P.S. Stay tuned for reflections and recaps from MXL and RXL.